Knitting-machine.



A. S. MUSGROVE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1909.

1,095,1 64;. Pat nted Apr. 28, 1914.

IIIIN WITNESSES.-

I 29 a. INVENTOR. M MM" 2% "rriin s rnrns PATENT onnrcn ARTHUR MUSGROVE, 0F PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SCOTT & WILLIAMS, INCORPORATED, OF PHILADEL- LPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

KNITTING-1VIAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Application filed August 24, 1909. Serial No. 514,336.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR S. Musonovn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsfield, county of Berkshire, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to such improvements and consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

The principal object of my invention is to facilitate the knitting of pattern fabrics on machines having dial-supported needles cooperative with cylinder-supported needles, and the invention consists of transferring mechanism by which stitch-loops may be transferred from one dial needle to another dial-needle.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a vertical central section of a portion of a dial and cylinder knitting-machine with my improved transferring mechanism connected therewith, and also shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of a portion of the needle-dial and needles, a portion of the transfer-plate and transfer-points, and the cam for elevating the points, illustrating diagrammatically the relative movements of the stitch-supporting needle and the transferring point, which places said stitch upon another of the dial-needles. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view on an enlarged and exaggerated scale of a piece of knitted fabric having one of its stitches transferred by my improved mechanism. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the cam for elevating the transfer-points, with its support partly broken away.

The needle-dial, 1, and the needle-cylinder, 2, are made and arranged in the usual well known manner, the dial being provided with horizontal needles, 3, adapted to be moved radially of the dial by means of a cam, 4, engageable with a foot 5. The cylinder-needles, 7, are reciprocated vertically by means of a cam, 8, engageable with a foot, 9, so as to cooperate with the dial-needles in knitting fabric, 10, which passes down between the peripheries of the dial and cylinder in the usual manner.

The transferring-mcchanism comprises a plate, 12, mounted upon a sleeve 13, and adjustably secured thereto by means of a set screw, 14, the sleeve being rotary upon the supporting-shaft, 15. The sleeve is supported upon the shaft by means of the bearing-slecve, 17, fixed upon the shaft by means of set screw, 18, by means of which the height of the sleeve, 13, upon the shaft can be adjusted as desired. The gear-wheel, 20, is secured upon the rotary sleeve, 13, by means of set screw, 21, passing through the wheelhub, 22, and engageable with the rotary-s'leeve. The teeth, 24, on the gearwheel are adapted to engage with the cylinder-needles, there being a tooth for each needle whereby the rotation of the needlecylinder imparts a corresponding rotarymovement to the gear-wheel, 20, rotarysleeve, 13, and transfer-plate 12. The trans fer-plate is provided with radial grooves, 26, adapted to receive the points, 27, adapted to slide radially in such grooves. The points or bars, 27, are each provided with a projection or offset, 28, adapted to engage the actuating cam, 29, whereby a longitudinal movement is imparted to the points in practically the same manner that similar movements are communicated to the needles of the knitting-machine.

The actuating-cams, 4 and 29, are not shown in Fig. 2, neither does Fig. 2 show the needle-cylinder nor the fabric, the principal object of Fig. 2 being to show the relative movements of the dial-needles and the transfer-point in transferring a stitchloop from one needle to the next needle in advance. This figure may be treated as showing a single needle and a single transfer-point in different positions, approximately such as would be assumed by the needle and transfer-point while the stitchloop was being engaged by the transferpoint and transferred to another needle, 31, also shown in position to receive the transferred loop, 43, when in the position shown at 32.

The outward. movement of the transferpoint locates the point at a greater distance from the center of its supportingplate, which causes the point when so extended to originally tion upon the needle, 31,

first row,

travel more rapidly and therefore gain upon the needle-hook, so that the movement would be as follows: Starting with the position of the hook at, 421, and the point at, 12, slightly lower than the needle, the point would enter the loo-p, 43, at the next position, the point being forced outwardly and into the loop by the engagement of its foot with the cam not shown. The next position shown represents the point as having gained a small distance upon the needle-hook, forcing the loop to one side. The next position shows the point having gained still more, and forcing the loop nearly to the next preceding needle-hook; and the next and last position represents the point as having gained so much upon the needle-hooks as to have passed the next preceding needle, 31, and holding it in position for the hook of the needle to enter the loop, 32, the needle being forced outwardly by engagement of its cam with its foot 5.

The inclined slideway, 50, is held in such position by the upright, 51, as to project along the path traversed by the point after it has engaged a stitch-loop. As the point passes along up the inclined slideway, it is lifted from a plane slightly below the plane of the needle gradually upward until it is upon a higherplane than the hook, so that in passing to the last position shown the point easily passes above the hook. At the last position of the point shown upon the inclined slideway, the slideway terminates so that the point drops sufliciently from the last position shown in the loop at, 32, to allow the loop to be engaged by the hook on needle, 31, which retains the loop thereon, the point being withdrawn from the loop by its inward movement induced by the cam 29 in passing to the position shown at 1-5. The loop, 43, thus transferred to needle, 31, is afterward cast off from the hook which supported it by the customary action of the needles in knitting in the usual manner. The loop, 47, was already in posiand when the loop, 43, was transferred from the succeeding needle to needle, 31, that needle supported two loops, 43' and 47, which would be together cast,off' from the needle, 31, in the usual'manner of knitting, and occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, thereby leaving the-aperture, 60, in the fabric, which aperture would have been occupied by the loop, 43, if the same had not been transferred to the preceding dial-needle. r

The fabric is made up of successive stitchloops forming'vertical rows of loops. The 61, of the loops shown in Fig. 3. is made upon the cylinder-needles. 0nd row, 62, is made upon the dial-needles; the third row, 63, upon the cylinder-needles, and the last roW, 6e, is made upon the dial- The secneedles, so that in transferring from one dial-needle to the next preceding dial-needle the loop is transferred from one row of loops across an adjacent:- row of loops, and caused to intermesh with the next row of loops beyond the crossed row, as seen in Fig. 3. This arrangement assures a cleancut and well-defined opening, (30. The loop being carried across the row of loops bordering the opening, and made to intermesh with a row beyond the crossed loop, prevents the distortion of the fabric in the vicinity of the opening, which reduces the liability not only of distorting the opening, but weakening the fabric in the vicinity of the opening.

It is obvious that by varying the number and position of transfer-points on the transfer-plate, the number and position of the openings, 60, in the fabric can be varied as desired.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a cylinder and dial ln'litting-machine, stitch-transferring mechanism oonsisting of reciprocatory dial-needles, a movable transferring point engageable with a stitch-loop on one of the dial-needles; a rotatory support for said point, means for imparting to such point a movement, along the path of the needle-hooks, more rapid than the movement of such needle-hooks, whereby a stitch-loop is carried from one of the dial-needles to the next preceding needle and deposited thereon during the outward slide-moven'ient of such needle.

2. In a lniitting-machine, the combination with a rotatory needle-support; of a rotatory transfer-plate having its axis outside of said needle-support; means for imparting rotary movements to the transfor-plate corresponding with the rotary movements of the needle-dial; a transfer-point supported by, and movable radially of, the plate; means for imparting radial movements to the point; and means for changing the elevation of the point at certain times.

3. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a rotatory needle-dial and needle cylinder; of a rotatory transfer-plate; a toothed wheel adapted to engage the cylinder-needles and secured in fixed relation to the plate; a transfer-point supported by, and movable radially of, the plate; means for imparting radial movements to the point; and means for changingtho elevation of the point at certain times.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a rotatory needle-support and reciprocatory needles; of a rotatory transfer-plate having its axis outside of said needle-support; a transfer-point supported by said transfer-plate with freedom to move toward and from the center thereof, and tailsversely of the plane of said needles; means for moving said transfer-point toward and from the center of said plate; and means for changing the elevation of said point relatively to the plane of the needles.

5. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a rotatory needle-support and horizontal reciprocatory needles; of a rotatory transfer-plate, in a plane substantially parallel with said needle support and needles; a transfer-point horizontally supported by said transfer-plate with freedom to move toward and from the center thereof, and vertically; means for moving said transfer point toward and from the center of said plate; and a cam fixed in the path of said point leading from a plane below to a plane above that of the horizontal needles.

6. In a knitting-machine, the combination with a rotatory needle-support and reciprooatory needles; of a transfer-point located outside of said needle-support; and means located outside of said needle-support for moving said point through an oblique path intersecting the loops carried by the needles and at the same time moving said point toward the needles to engage one of said loops.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of August, 1909.

ARTHUR S. MUSGROVE.

Witnesses:

HOWARD A. BROWN, JOHN P. CorELEss.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of .Eatente, Washington, D. 0." 

